Final answer:
Southeast Asian Shadow Plays were used to enact stories from the Indian epics and were performed during temple festivals. The puppets, made of leather, were manipulated by skilled puppeteers to cast shadows that could walk, dance, fight, nod, and laugh.
Step-by-step explanation:
Southeast Asian Shadow Plays were used to enact stories drawn from the Indian epics, which feature prominently in Hindu festivals. This traditional form of puppetry, known as wayang or wayang kulit in Indonesia, involves the use of leather puppets with movable joints. Skilled puppeteers animate the puppets' shadows, creating movements like walking, dancing, fighting, nodding, and laughing. The performances are staged during temple festivals in countries like Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, and Malaysia, and the shadows are cast using oil or halogen lights onto a cotton cloth background.